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Matt McCord drives through the lane for a basket.
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Team
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CCC
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ALL
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*Twin Valley South
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9-2
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17-3
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*Franklin Monroe
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9-2
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16-4
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*National Trail
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9-2
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15-5
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*Tri-Village
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9-2
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14-6
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Ansonia
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7-4
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10-10
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Tri-County North
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6-5
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12-8
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Mississinawa Valley
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4-7
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8-12
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Arcanum
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4-7
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7-13
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Newton
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4-7
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5-15
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Covington
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3-7
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3-17
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Bethel
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2-9
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3-17
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Bradford
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0-11
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0-20
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December 7, 2002 – COVINGTON
For five minutes of the third quarter the Covington Buccaneers looked like a young team while the Tipp City Red Devils looked like a veteran group. In that five minute span, Tipp City turned a defensive game into a track meet. The result was a 23-9 third quarter run by Tipp which catapulted them to a 59-51 win.
"Sometimes experience pays off," described Covington coach Roger Craft. "We played very well except for a few minutes in the third quarter and that was our downfall. Give Tipp City credit though. They turned up the pressure on defense and forced us into some turnovers which resulted in easy points in transition. We learned a lot from this game."
What the Buccs learned was they could come back from a twelve-point deficit in a the fourth quarter against a very good basketball team and nearly pull of an upset. Trailing 47-35 to begin the fourth period, Covington managed to fight their way back and close the gap to 51-47 with 3:30 to go in the game.
Tipp City's experience showed through again, however, as the Red Devils slowed the game down and forced the Buccs to foul down the stretch. They capitalized on the majority of their free throws and escaped with an 8-point win.
"This is a tough place to play," commented a relieved Tipp City coach Matt Pond. "I told the kids before the game that this would not be an easy game. The fact that they have three freshman getting a lot of playing time doesn't mean they can't play. I remember a few years ago they had some freshman playing and one of those kids (Jason Meyer) is now playing at Dartmouth. Sometimes it's a positive to have freshman on the court because they don't quite understand the pressure. They just go out and play and those boys (Covington) played their tails off tonight."
The first half was a test of two teams flexing their muscles on defense. Neither team could put together a run to gain momentum. Tipp City held a slim lead throughout most of the first half until Dan Kiser gave the Buccs a 26-24 lead at the break on a jumper from the baseline.
After Tipp City's 23-9 run in the third period to go up 47-35, Covington went on a run of their own. The Buccs outscored the Red Devils 12-4 in the first five minutes of the final period to cut the Tipp lead to 51-47. Matt McCord broke loose on a steal and converted the lay-up which forced Tipp City to call a timeout.
Tipp City's, Andy Vanover then took over and shut the door on the Buccs. Vanover scored 10 of his 14 points in the final period including 7 for 7 shooting on the night.
"Andy Vanover played very well for us," complemented Pond. "You'd think he would be worn down a bit from playing so much football, but the kid has a motor that won't quit. He comes off of the bench for us and plays very well."
Although the Buccs are a young team, Tipp City knows they were in a dog fight and came out with a big win in a hostile environment.
"We knew this would be a tough game," mentioned Tipp City's Andy Vanover. "Covington always has a big crowd, but you have to just go out and play hard. That's what we did. We were sluggish in the first half, but coach Pond just told us to pick up the intensity and we did. We came out and played like we can in the second half."
Matt Pond echoed Vanover's remarks. "I played my high school ball in this gym, so I know the tradition they have here at Covington and how tough it is to win here. It's a very special win for us because it's on the road against a tough team with tradition behind them. It's extra special for me because it's nice to come home and play in front of some of my friends."
Coach Craft summed up the Buccs' night with optimism.
"I'm pleased with our effort and the way we continue to improve," said Craft. We are still young and this is a great learning experience for us. We came back from being down late in the game and that says a lot about the kind of kids we have. I'm proud of them."
For the Buccs, Dan Kiser led the way with 14 points and Matt McCord chipped in 10 points.
Covington (2-2) gets their first taste of a road trip next Friday as they travel to Mississinawa Valley in a conference battle.
Covington Scoring:
Dan Kiser – 14 points
Matt McCord – 10 points
Matt Maier – 8 points
Ross Mohler – 6 points
Darin Rhoades – 5 points
Richard Canan – 5 points
Dusty Rhoades – 3 points
Dysty Kimmel – 0 points
Total: 51
Tipp City Scoring:
John Crawford – 17 points
Andy Vanover – 14 points
Metzler – 11 points
Weinl – 6 points
Vagedes – 5 points
Smith – 0 points
Total: 59
Reserves: Tipp City 40, Covington 35
